A 51-year-old man was seen walking on a busy freeway in an agitated state 12 hours before he burnt down his retirement village unit on Australia Day. The fire at 11.41pm on January 25 destroyed the Bacchus Marsh Retirement Living unit, causing $200,000 damage. The retirement village’s 37 residents were put in extreme danger, while two residents were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Rodney Barling pleaded guilty to one count of arson at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Friday before he made an application for bail.
